By
Alice Chambers |
Celebrity Cruises and Chantiers de l’Atlantique have held a coin ceremony to celebrate the keel-laying of the cruise line’s newest ship, Celebrity Ascent.
Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, placed coins onto the ship’s steel docking block, which is part of the ship’s keel. The coins are thought to bring the vessel luck while at sea. Laurent Castaing, general manager of Chantiers de l’Atlantique, was also present at the ceremony, along with executives from the two companies.
“Today, we celebrate the incredible Celebrity Ascent, a ship name that fittingly represents the climb, the rise and, ultimately, the upward trajectory of both Celebrity Cruises and the Royal Caribbean Group,” said Jason Liberty. “It’s exciting to have our entire fleet back in the water again, and moments like this reaffirm our bright future. We are grateful to all who have and will continue to lend their creativity and craftsmanship to this ship, as we work together to reach new heights in our industry.”
Celebrity Ascent is the fourth in the cruise line’s Edge series, joining sister ships Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Apex and Celebrity Beyond. The ship will be 17 decks tall and 20 metres longer than Celebrity Edge, which was the original Edge-series ship. The vessel will also feature more space and onboard experiences.
“Bringing another magnificent Celebrity Edge-series ship to life is absolutely thrilling for me and another wonderful development for our guests,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises. “While exploring the wonders of the world, our guests will be surrounded by the wonders of our Celebrity world - forward-thinking design, culinary excellence, thoughtful well-being experiences, and our uniquely intuitive service. Celebrity Ascent will be the epitome of a relaxed luxury resort at sea.”
“This new ship will be another great success in the continuity of the previous ships of the Celebrity fleet built at Chantiers de l’Atlantique,” said Laurent Castaing. “We know our respective teams have been giving each other enough proofs of mutual confidence so that they can work smoothly on this new project.”
Celebrity Ascent will debut in Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades on 3 December 2023 with an inaugural Caribbean season of alternating seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.